CHIEF NINHAM FORGOTTEN HERO Story By Eva Jean Bowman Illustrations By Students of Bowler Elementary School
CHIEF NINHAM FORGOTTEN HERO Story by EVA JEAN BOWMAN Illustrations by STUDENTS OF BOWLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MUH-HE-CON-NEEW PRESS 1999
Muh-he-con-neew Press, 1999 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Copyrights of the following have been granted to Muh-he-con-neew Press for the publication and all subsequent printings of this book: Text, Eva Jean Bowman Original illustrations. Students of Bowler (Wl) Elementary School Map, page viii, Shirley W. Dunn Map, page 31, Ruth A. Gudinas Photo, page 38, Richard S. Walling Photo, page 39, Ruth A. Gudinas Photos, pages 40 and 41, John Soto Photo, page 42, MOHICAN NEWS ISBN 0-935790-04-7 Published by MUH-HE-CON-NEEW PRESS N9136 Big Lake Road Gresham, Wl 54128-8955 715-787-4427 Layout and printing by Franciscan Publishers and Printers 165 East Pulaski Street PO Box 100 Pulaski, Wl 54162-0100
DEDICATED TO ALL NATIVE AMERICAN VETERANS PAST AND PRESENT TO MY FATHER AND GRANDFATHER FOR MY STOCKBRIDGE-MUNSEE/MOHICAN HERITAGE AND TO MY MOTHER FOR HER UNDERSTANDING AND LOVE EJB iii
CREDITS MAPS Page viii MOHICAN AND WAPPINGER LANDS IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Page 31 WAPPINGER LANDS AND VAN CORTLANDT'S WOODS PHOTOGRAPHS Page 38 Indian Field, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, NY Page 39 Monument to Chief Ninham and his Warriors, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, NY Page 40 Daniel Ninham Historical Marker, Route 301, Town of Kent, NY Page 41 Monument to Daniel Ninham (two views), Gypsy Trail Road, Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park, Carmel, NY Page 42 Mohican Veterans leading the Grand Entry, 22nd Annual Mohican Veterans Pow-wow, August 9, 1998
ILLUSTRATIONS Cover DANIEL NINHAM, WARRIOR Mark Coyhis Page 2 EUROPEAN SETTLERS ARRIVING Joseph Nordwig Page 4 DANIEL NINHAM'S LAND Jesse Onesti Page 7 DANIEL'S LETTER Sasha Miller Page 9 DANIEL'S RETURN HOME Austin Kolpack Page 10 A COLONIAL DEED Erin Peters Page 13 A NATIVE VILLAGE Diane Voelz Page 14 GIFTS FROM MOTHER EARTH Ashley Bierman Page 16 A COLONIAL DEED Anita Miller Page 19 A WAPPINGER GARDEN Dustin Grail Page 20 DANIEL NINHAM, WARRIOR Matthew Parrott Page 22 COLONISTS' LETTER Travis Lettau Page 25 CHIEF NINHAM'S REPLY Cody Spolar Page 26 FIGHTING FOR INDIAN LANDS Elizabeth Arentsen Page 28 BATTLE OF VAN CORTLANDT'S WOODS Austin Kolpack Page 32 BATTLE OF VAN CORTLANDT'S WOODS Tiffany Home Page 35 CHIEF NINHAM'S LAST WORDS Ben Hoffman Page 36 CHIEF NINHAM'S DEATH Dustin Grail
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We wish to thank the following for the contributions they have made to this book: Professor David Wrone (retired), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, for his stories in class about Daniel Ninham's courageous struggle for his people's justice. The Arvid E. Miller Memorial Library Museum staff, for making its Ninham files available to us. The fourth grade students of Bowler Elementary School (1997-98), for their interest in Chief Ninham and their imaginative depictions of his life, and Mark Coyhis, third grade student at Bowler (1998-99) and nephew of the author, for his cover illustration of Daniel Ninham, Lori Mueller and Jim Doolittle of Bowler Elementary School, for inspiring their students with the story of Daniel Ninham, and encouraging and guiding their creative efforts, Kristin Weslaski, art teacher at Bowler Schools, for dedicating several hours of class time to this project, and preparing the students' work for publication, Ruth Burgart of Carmel, NY, for her helpful suggestions, and for making a trip to Van Cortlandt Park not only possible but fun, Shirley Dunn, for her expertise in locating the boundaries of the lands of the Wappinger and Mohican people, and her willingness to create a new map for our book so that young readers can find them, too, John Soto, for his searching out of old maps, the use of his photos of Ninham memorials in Putnam County, and his new and informative NIMHAM TIMES MAGAZINE, Richard Walling, for his paper DEATH IN THE BRONX in which many of the details of this book were found, his beautiful photos of Van Cortlandt Park and Indian Field, and the enthusiastic interest in this project that only a history teacher could have, and The staff of Franciscan Publishers and Printers, for their patience and good work. Eva Jean Bowman, Author Ruth A. Gudinas, Editor January, 1999
AUTHOR'S PREFACE The reason I wrote this story was because I attended a Stockbridge-Munsee history class, and the teacher. Dr. David Wrone, gave a very good account of Daniel Ninham and his Stockbridge warriors. This made me proud to be part of the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe. When our tribe lost their homelands in New York, they were forced to move along many trails, finally settling in the Wisconsin area. My grandfather and my great uncle were among the Stockbridge-Munsee people who settled here. I want our children, as well as non-native children, to read about one of our relatives Daniel Ninham, a war chief who died for what he believed in. He is not a forgotten hero in his homeland of New York. But he was almost forgotten in our trail of history because of the removals of our tribe. Today we, as Native people, gather to celebrate and honor our veterans, both men and women, of the past and future. I hope that, with this story, I can help our children understand their Mohican history and not forget our Native heroes. vii
MOHICAN AND WAPPINGER LANDS IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
Many, many years ago, when Native people still owned much of the land here. Chief Daniel Ninham* was an important Native warrior. He was a very wise Wappinger leader. The Wappingers were a group of Native people related to the Mohicans who lived north of them. The Wappingers lived on land along the southeastern banks of the Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk.** Today this is called the Hudson River. * Also spelled Nimham ** Also spelled Muhicannituk, Mahecanittuck, etc. I
While Daniel Ninham was growing up, people who had come from Europe were looking for land to live on. They were moving into Wappinger and Mohican Lands. They were called "colonists." When Daniel got older, he was called a chief by his people. The colonists, who could see that he was greatly respected by his own people, called him a king. These are both names of great honor given to respected leaders, and Chief Ninham was respected by everyone.
Chief Ninham tried very hard to keep his people's lands from being taken over by colonists. But after he came home from fighting in a war, he found colonists living on the land he and his people had been living on. Even though he was very angry. Chief Ninham decided to get his people's land back through peaceful means. 5
First, he wrote a long letter to the colonists' leaders telling them that he and his people had a right to their lands. Then he traveled many miles to New York City to try to keep their lands.
7
Finally he and three Mohican leaders went all the way across the ocean to London, England, to see the English king.
But the king was no help. Chief Ninham had to return to this country knowing that he and the other Wappingers would lose their land. 9
01
Soon the colonists' governor and his council said that Daniel's people had no right to keep their land because they did not have a deed. A deed is a piece of paper saying that someone owns a piece of land. The colonists used deeds to prove they owned land. II
Daniel said that this was not the Indian people's way. Like other Native people, he believed that Mother Earth cannot be owned, divided up, or sold.
The Wappingers and their neighbors, the Mohicans, showed respect for Mother Earth by living from what the seasons gave them. 13
They hunted and fished and planted gardens. They gathered plants for medicines and foods. They used only what they needed from Mother Earth, and they took care of her. 15
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But the colonists who had moved onto the Wappinger land said they had a deed. So Chief Ninham lost the land. By this time he had already moved away to Stockbridge to join his family there. This was a village where some Mohicans lived. It was on land that colonists had not yet taken from the Mohican people. 17
Daniel Ninham was a strong leader. He fought in legal ways to keep his people's land. We could say he was a peaceful warrior. He never stopped believing that he shared Mother Earth with his family and other Native people.
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Chief Ninham was also another kind of warrior, one who fights with weapons. He had learned to hunt when he was a young man. He had learned to fight in earlier battles. He also became known as an Elder because he had learned how to live a good life. But he still believed that we often have to fight for what is right. So, as an Elder, he became a leader of some Mohican warriors from Stockbridge. He and his men were called "excellent marksmen" because they had learned to use their weapons so well. 21
At that time he got a colonists. In the letter Stockbridge warriors to War. letter from leaders of the they asked him and his fight in the Revolutionary This was the colonists' war against the same king whom Chief Ninham had gone to see. The colonists felt that the king, far away in England, was taking away their freedoms. 23
Chief Ninham wrote back: "You have sent for me to fight. If I do, you must let me fight in my own Indian way. Only point out to me where enemies are and that is all I want to know."
Chief Ninham was one of the first Indian men who joined the colonists' in their Revolutionary War. He did this because he felt he was still fighting for his people's land. He believed that a deed did not mean that colonists really owned the Native land. He believed that it still belonged to the Wappingers and the Mohicans, and that it was worth fighting for. He was even willing to die for this land. 27
There were many English troops fighting against the colonists. They were on foot and on horseback.
Chief Ninham, his son, Abraham, and the other warriors were few, but they were strong men and good fighters. They finally met the English in a place called Van Cortlandt's Woods. 29
These woods were not far from the same lands that Chief Ninham had tried to save for his people years before. He believed that he and his men were still fighting for their lands.
42 o J 1 Lands of Daniel Ninham's people 2 Battle of Van Cortlandt's Woods :ROCKLANO WESTCHESTE^ BRONX NEW YORK RICHMOND J. Skib«12/89 WAPPINGER LANDS AND VAN CORTLANDT'S WOODS 31
The English troops attacked Chief Ninham and his warriors on three sides. The Mohicans were on foot. The English troops were on horseback, and there were many, many more than the Native warriors. As the fierce battle went on. Chief Ninham knew that he and his warriors were going to lose, even though they were fighting very bravely. 33
Then he made his last stand. "My time has come," he shouted to his young warriors. "I am an old tree. I will die here." 35
And he did. Daniel Ninham was a Wappinger Elder, warrior, and leader. He died defending the land that he loved -- land near the river called the Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk. Chief Ninham was an old man at the time of his death. He was worthy of the name chief. He was a respected leader of his people. 37
Today the bodies of Chief Ninham and his warriors lie under the soil of a New York City park.
Nearby, in a small grassy clearing circled in trees, there is a bronze tablet that simply says: AUGUST 31, 1778 UPON THIS FIELD CHIEF NIMHAM AND SEVENTEEN STOCKBRIDGE INDIANS AS ALLIES OF THE PATRIOTS GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR LIBERTY 39
Warriors risk their lives when they fight to protect their homeland. This is why they are heroes.,»ctc. 1- NIMHAM LAST SACHEM OF WAPPINOE OR WAPPINGER INDIANS. FRIEND OF WHITES, WHO SUED ADOLPH PHILIPSE TO RETRIEVE LAND. HAD HIS VILLAGE NEAR HERF Daniel Ninham was a hero like this. He fought for Indian lands when they were being taken away by those from another land. He lost that fight.
^ He also fought to protect his homeland when he joined the American colonists against the king of England. He lost that battle, too, and much more. He lost his life. IN HONOR C: - DANIEL NIMHAavl SACHEM OF V^'f ^dappfnoeritoans WHO PERISHED WO U MlS^WARRl^R f DEPENDING AMKPiiCAN GAliSE IN THE BATELE AT KINGSBRI^^S AlKJUST 31-, 1778 41
Few Mohican people today remember Chief Ninham. For us he is a forgotten hero. But we can honor him, if we remember how bravely he fought for homelands close by our own -- along the Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk. On Veterans Day and during our Veterans Pow-wow, when all our warriors are honored, we can think of Chief Ninham. For that is when our great warriors who have fought for our land, especially those who died fighting, are remembered and honored. 43
jflhbm^ ggggm^ ^51^^ Eva Jean Bov/man (Stockbridgc-Munsec/Mcnominee) v/as born in Keshena, Wisconsin, on December 23, 1945. Her family lived in Milwaukee and had a summer home in the Town of Red Springs, Stockbridge-Munsee Reservation, in northeast Wisconsin. She lived in Winnebago, Nebraska for twenty years, and has one daughter and four grandchildren who still live there. In 1974, Eva began her career in early childhood education by working in the Native American Headstart Program. She eventually earned an associate certificate in Child Development from Winnebago Community College. Since 1989, when she returned to her home in the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, she has continued her education and career as lead teacher and then director of the Stockbridge -Munsee Headstart Program. In 1991, she was selected as Runner-up for Teacher of the Year by the Wisconsin Headstart Directors' Association. An enrolled member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohicans, Eva Jean presently lives with her parents in the Town of Red Springs. This book brings to surface all the truth in a language that our young people can understand, while gaining a sense of cultural pride and belonging. Kenneth R. Ninham, M.S.E./ICADC 111 Bowler School District in Bowler, Wisconsin, educates many young people from the reservation of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans. The elementary school's enrollment is approximately thirty-nine percent Native American, most of whom are Stockbridge-Munsee tribal members or descendants. ISBN 0-935790-04-7 U.S. $14.00 CANADA $18.00